Seattle airport jetway drops as people exit flight

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File photo

Seattle airport jetway drops as people exit flight

File photo

SEATAC, Wash. (AP) — Seattle-Tacoma International Airport says passengers were exiting a Southwest Airlines flight when a jet bridge to the terminal dropped several feet Tuesday, but no one was injured.

Airport spokeswoman Christina Faine (FAY-nee’) says the end of the walkway dropped 6 to 8 feet, but it’s unclear how many people might have been on it at the time. Faine says about half of the passengers had left the plane.

She described the cause as a mechanical failure. The plane had arrived from Phoenix and was supposed to continue on to Chicago’s Midway International Airport.

The remaining passengers left by a stairway brought to the other side of the plane.

Southwest Airlines said in a statement it is thankful no one was hurt. It says the plane will remain out of service pending inspections for possible damage.